CHAPTER XI
NADAWAHUNT

WELCOMED THE FORLORN PILGRIMS IN 1621--SIGNED A TREATY.--ALSO SIGNED TREATY WITH MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY, 1643.--THE CHRISTIAN NASHOWANON, ALIAS NADAWAHUNT, THE ANCIENT.--HIS SON NOMORSHET ALIAS NOKEN.--GRANDSON, LAWRENCE NASHOWANNO.--ALSO DAVID, PROBABLE GRANDSON.--HIS NEPHEW, WETOLESHEN, HIS SUCCESSOR AS CHIEF OF TANTASKWEE.--WASCOMOS, SON AND HEIR OF WETOLESHEN.

NADAWAHUNT

We must now recall briefly some of the conditions existing at the Plymouth Colony in the spring of 1621.

Quoting from "Bradford's History":

   In these hard & difficulte beginings they found some discontents & murmurings arise amongst some, and mutinous speeches & carriags in other; but they were soon quelled & overcome by ye wisdome, patience, and just & equall carrage of things by ye Govr. and better part, wch clave faithfully togeather in ye maine.
   But that which was most sadd & lamentable was, that in 2. or 3. moneths time halfe of their company dyed, espetialy in Jan: & February, being ye depths of winter, and wanting houses & other comforts; being infected with ye scurvie & (55) other diseases, which this long vioage & their inacomodate condition had brought upon them; so as ther deyed some times 2. or 3. of a day, in ye foresaid time; that of 100. & odd persons, scarce 50. remained.
   "But about ye 16. of March a certaine Indian came bouldly amongst them, and spoke to them in broken English, which they could well understand, but marvelled at it.
   His name was Samaset; he tould them also of another Indian whos name was Squanto, a native of this place, who had been in England & could speake better English then him selfe.
   Being, after some time of entertainments & gifts, dismist, a while after he came againe, & 5 more with him, & they brought againe all ye tooles that were stolen away before, and made way by ye coming of their great Sachem, called Massasoyt; who, about 4. or 5. days after, came with the cheefe of his friends & other attendance, with the aforesaid Squanto. With whom, after frendly entertainment, & some gifts given him, they made a peace with him (which hath now continued this 24. years) in these terms.

1. That neither he nor any of his, should injurie or doe hurte to any of their peopl.
2. That if any of his did any hurte to any of theirs, he should send ye offender, that they might punish him.
3. That if anything were taken away from any of theirs, he should cause it to be restored; and they should doe ye like to his.
4. If any did unjustly warr against him, they would aide him, if any did warr against them, he should aide them.
5. He should send to his neighbors confederats, to certifie them of this, that they might not wrong them, but might be likewise comprised in ye conditions of peace.
6. That when ther men came to them, they should leave their bows & arrows behind them.

   After these things he returned to his place caled Sowams, some 40. miles from this place, but Squanto continued with them, and was their interpreter, and was a spetial instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. He directed them how to set their corne, wher to take fish, and to procure other comodities, and was also their pilott to bring them to unknowne places for their profitt, and never left them till he dyed.
   He was a native of this place, & scarce any left alive besids him selfe."

It is probable that Nadawahunt, the Nipnet chief, was among Massasoit's "cheefe of his friends" at this first conference and agreement, but at any rate, he was one of the nine who came together at Plymouth Sept. 13, 1621, and signed a treaty of submission, which was in these words:

   "Know all men by these presents, that we whose names are underwritten, do acknowledge ourselves to be the royal subjects of king James, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. In witness whereof, and as a testimonial of the same, we have subscribed our names, or marks, as follows:--

Ohquamehud,	Nattawahunt,	Quadaquina
Cawnacome,	Caunbatant,	Huttmoiden,
Obbatinnua,	Chikkatabak,	Apannow."

Mr. Drake says, "Of some of these sachems, nothing is known beyond this transaction, and of the others very little."

"Obbatinua is supposed to have been sachem of Shawmut where Boston now stands.

Nattawahunt, we shall again meet with, under the name Nashoonon."

A Treaty With the Nipmucks

In 1643 Governor Winthrop relates that "At this court Cutshamekin and Squaw Sachem, Mascononoco, Nashacowam and Wassamagon, two Sachems, near the great hill of the west, called (Warehasset, Washusett,) came into court and according to their former tender to the governor desired to be received under our protection and government, &c."

"In 1643 Massasoit resided with Nashoonon, chief of the Nipmucks."

In Winthrop's Journal Nashoonon is Nashacowam.

A more extended account of this early treaty is to be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay, as follows:

   "Wossamegon, Nashowanon, Cutshamache, Mascanomet & Squa Sachim did voluntarily submit themselves to us, as appeareth by their covenant subscribed with their own hands, hear following & othr articles to wch they consented.
   Wee have and by these presents do voluntarily & wth out any constraint or psuasions, but of or owne free motion, put orselves, or subjects, lands & estates under the government & jurisdiction of the Massachusetts, to be governed & ptected by them, according to their just lawes & orders, so farr as wee shal bee made capable of understanding them; & wee do pmise for orselves all or subjects and all or posterity, to be true and faithfull to the said government & ayding to the maintenance thereof, to or best ability. & from time to time to give speedy notice of any conspiracy, attempt or evill intention of any which wee shall (or) heare of against the same: and we pmise to be willing from time to time to be instructed in the knowledge & worship of God, in witness whereof wee have hereunto put or hands the 8th of the first mo. a 1643-1644."

Cut sham a che Nash owa non alias Nadawahunt Wos sam e gon Mask a nom ett Squa sachim

The foregoing quotations, in combination with other data that may be gathered from the Winthrop papers, adds, or rather reveals a knowledge of three generations of chiefs of Tantiusque, also other interesting local history of the highest importance.

So long as the human mind is curious of knowledge, so long as men seek and value full information of people and events, such subjects will command study and exact solution.

Facts at the root and beginning of colonial occupancy, obscure as they may be, but involving the repute of a departed people, historically defenceless, are, in a higher and larger view important.

NADAWAHUNT

   (a) The friend and counselor of Massasoit.
   (b) 1621. He was one of the first to befriend the forlorn colony at Plymouth.
   (c) 1643-4. April 8, With whom, Massasoit was then living in Nipnet when they signed a treaty with the General Court, at Boston.
   (d) 1644, Nov. 11, He signed a deed confirming a joint deed signed by Wetoleshem and Nomorshet at Tantaskwe, three days previous.

It appears that he was not present at Tantaskwe, Nov. 8, 1644. His signature was obtained three days later, and was witnessed by King and Day, two of the three Englishmen, whose names appear on the first deed.

Hence then, Thomas King and Stephen Day had, in the meantime, travelled to the home of the ancient sachem, negotiated and prepared a deed, which was signed the 11th. November, 1644, three days from the signing of the first one, at Tantaskwe.

His Residence--Where.

At this time we can do no better than to adopt for the home of Nadawahunt, a very interesting and evidently important Indian Village site, at the south end of Podunk or Quabaug Pond, in the east part of Brookfield.

This place has been named Quobagud, by Rev. J. H. Temple, in his "History of North Brookfield."

The site has not been destroyed by changes or improvements.

The requisite evidence to be seen here is unmistakable and points to the existence, at this place, for a long period, of a community of the highest refinements of savage society.

The place is also well situated for defensive arrangements, after the Indian manner.

Quobagud is situated northerly of Tantaskwe village site, a distance of about six or eight miles. The present road is very direct, and occupies the location of the "Brookfield and Woodstock path" which was in old times used by the natives.

Rev. John Eliot became early interested in this vicinity. The fact is brought out and accounted for by the clause in a letter written by him at Roxbury, Dec. 29, 1649, which reads as follows:

"There is another aged Sachem at Quobagud three score miles Westward, and he doth greatly desire that I should come thither, and teach them, and live there."

There can be no question as to the identity of the "aged Sachem." It was not Massasoit, he never accepted the Christian religion, and was opposed to its being preached to his people.

But we have the Christian Indian Nashoonan, alias Nadawahunt, the ancient. He was prominently among the first to welcome the little colony at Plymouth, by an agreement for mutual benefit. He, a few years later, carried out the same friendly policy with the Massachusetts Colony; and furthermore, three generations of a noble family of which he was the head, remained faithful to the English, even to the point of their own suffering and destruction.

DESCENDANTS OF NADAWAHUNT

The signature of Nommorshot, as associate grantor, upon the deed No. 1., indicates something like the position of a son of Nadawahunt. The probability that the latter had descendants, is supported by the following from "Whitney's History of Worcester County;"--"For the sum of 20 Newengland currency, John Magus and Lawrence Nassowanno, two noted Indians, so early as in the year 1686, December 27th, gave and signed a deed of a large tract of land to Messrs Joshua Lamb, Nathaniel Page" and others.

Photo of Stone Erected...

This tract of land included what is now Hardwick.

We have here the suggestion presented with much force that this "noted Indian" Lawrence Nassowanno was the grandson of Nashowanon, the ancient, and that this descendant of a Christian family had adopted English customs even to assuming the name Nassowanno as a family name. He was also disposing of a piece of land once ruled over by the great sachem Nadawahunt.

David, of Quobagud, clearly a member of our family of Christianized chiefs of Nipnet, grew up under the influence of the teaching of Mr. Eliot, and adopted or was given the name of David.

He is mentioned in "Wheeler's Narrative" as "one of their chief sachems," and "a great friend of the English" at Brookfield. In point of time, he would be about in the generation to be a grandson of Nadawahunt.

In 1655, Wetolechen, nephew of Nadawahunt, and Noken (the latter is likely to be the same individual as Nommorshet, in the first Winthrop deed) gave to Rev. John Eliot, one thousand acres of land; which is more particularly described in connection with the town of Brimfield.

Wascomos, son and heir of Wetoleshen, will be mentioned in the following chapter.

The Owassamog branch of this family of Nipnet chiefs will be founds further on in the narrative of the Bay Path.

BACK   NEXT   INDEX

Return to Massachusetts Home Pages